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Juba, 21 January 2019: In an unexpected move, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir fires two of his governors. According to the Presidential decree, which was read on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting corporation [SSBC] President Kiir fires governor of Tonj state, governor Anthony Bol Madut and his counterpart, governor of Western Lakes state, Maj. General MaturChut.

There is no apparent reason given to the removal of the two governors, however, the two states have seen waves of inter-communal violence which caused more than five hundred lives since late last year to January this year.

In a related decree, President Kiir appointed Mathew Mathiang Magordit to replace Anthony Bol Madut, while John Deng Mamer has replaced Maj General Matur governor of Western Lakes state.

Governor Matur has been battling with unknown illness, in 2017 he was briefly flown to Germany for medical treatment, while he was away in Germany, Lakes state has seen an unprecedented level of violence, there was demonstration and people from lakes state petitioned President Kiir to sack governor Matur, however, Kiir felt reluctant to fire Matur who is his close allied, but to due unbearable pressure, eventual President Kiir bowed to the pressure and released Matur from his post before reinstating him barely a year ago as a governor of Western lakes state. The reinstatement of Matur came after his [Kiir] has divided the ten constitutional states of South Sudan into 32 unconstitutional states.